Vehicles may include various subsystems that provide designated functions for the vehicle, such as a propulsion subsystem to generate tractive effort for moving the vehicle and a cooling system to maintain temperatures of components of the vehicle at safe levels to prevent damage to the components and maintain operability of the components. Other subsystems may include an electrical subsystem that provides current to power lights, batteries, displays, communication devices, and computing devices of the vehicle, and a heating, ventilation, and air-conditioning (HVAC) subsystem that maintains temperatures of designated spaces of the vehicle, such as passenger compartments or refrigerated cargo compartments.
Over time, the various subsystems may become damaged and/or fail. Unexpected damage and/or failure of some subsystems may cause the vehicle to be non-operational for a downtime period until the subsystem is repaired. Such downtime periods can result in significant delays and financial losses. Furthermore, the failures of some subsystems, such as a propulsion subsystem or a cooling subsystem, can leave a vehicle debilitated on a route. The debilitated vehicle can block movement of other vehicles along the route, increasing the extent of the delays and financial losses attributable to the failed subsystem.
One way to reduce the occurrence of damage and/or failure to the subsystems of a vehicle is to increase the frequency at which the subsystems are inspected, repaired, and/or replaced, but such actions can be time consuming and expensive. The time spent to inspect the vehicles reduces the time that the vehicles are in operation, therefore reducing the productivity and financial gain of the vehicles. Furthermore, even routine inspections may not reduce damage and/or failure of the subsystems. For example, the root cause of damage to a subsystem may occur after one inspection and cause the subsystem to fail before a subsequent inspection. Additionally, it may be difficult to identify and diagnose a root cause of damage to a subsystem during an inspection.